The Mountains' Hidden Secrets
by SwissyFox
Summary: Deep in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, young hikers Alex and Laurens end up getting lost in the wilderness. On top of that, they find themselves in an even scarier predicament that tests themselves under pressure in the bitter cold. Will Alex's strong, overwhelming feelings for Laurens prove himself to be the savior or will they meet at death's doorstep? Lams (Laurens x Hamilton)


**Hello everyone! This is SwissyFox. You all might have known me as XxFlamingSnowxX, but I changed it because I can. uwu So it has been** ** _years_** **since I have posted or even written a fanfic. Soooo you probably experienced me in my weeaboo phase (which I still cringe about to this day). I am not much into anime anymore, but am into musical for about several years now. So this new fanfic is a Hamilton one since that has been my jam lately. And you can tell that this is a Lams (Laurens x Hamilton) story set in a modern AU. There is only one chapter to it, so this is it! Please enjoy it and honest, kind reviews are always welcomed! :)**

The beautiful Colorado Rockies; a serene landscape that could take your breath away with just one glance. The snow sprinkled on top of the peaks, the green pines covering the steep sides of the mountains, and the aspens quaking in the wind. Rivers and streams snake their way through the valleys and the mule deer and elk scatter along the plains. Nothing can come close to beating this natural beauty.

Deep within the evergreens and pines, two young hikers made their way up a gravely path, keeping themselves focused on the trail as much as possible. Their tall backpacks filled with blankets, survival equipment, and other necessities weighed down on their hips and back as they made sure they are bundled up in their coats, hats, and gloves. One of the hikers stopped suddenly, looking down at the compass in their gloved hand.

"Wait, Alex." Alex stopped in his tracks and spun around. His beanie covered most of his head, but you could still see some brunette hair that was in a small, low bun. He had a slight goatee and mustache. His chocolate brown eyes showed some concern. "Are you sure we are going the right way?"

"Yes, John. I have been up here before. There is a nice campground at the top. We can set up camp there." Alex smirked, turning around and continuing on the path.

"Don't call me that! It's Laurens. You know I hate that name," Laurens sighed, glancing at Alex and then back down at the compass. "Look, we are heading west. Didn't that sign back there say to go up the northern trail?"

Alex gave a heavy sigh and looked back at Laurens, "We are only heading west for just a mile. We'll be fine." Laurens rolled his eyes, shoved the compass back into his coat pocket, and trailed behind Alex.

The two hikers trekked up the mountain for about two miles before Laurens stopped. Alex turned around and glared at Laurens.

"Sorry. I need to rest," Laurens took off his backpack and unzipped it, taking out a slick blanket and setting it down on the ground. He plopped himself down on it and chuckled at Alex, who was still staring at Laurens. "You might as well take a break." Alex looked out to the open space between the trees to view the mountains on his left, thinking to himself. Laurens was right. His legs were getting kind of tired.

"Fine," Alex muttered and threw his backpack off, taking a blanket out and laid it across the ground next to Laurens. He gently sat down and took his beanie off, revealing his messy hat-hair. Laurens gave Alex a you-know-I-am-right kind of smirk and took his hat off, too. His frizzy, curly brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Freckles stippled across his face as his hazel eyes smiled at Alex. Alex gave a light chuckle, averting his eyes away from Laurens and looking out over the mountain. "You know…whether we are going the right direction or not, this view is breathtaking."

Laurens blinked a few times, gazing out at the mountains in the distance, "Yeah…you're right." He fluttered his eyes shut, taking in the aura as the mountain breezes billow past him. Alex took his attention to Laurens, watching him be at peace with nature and taking in his surroundings. His hair flew in sync with the wind, his chest moving up and down with every breath and his face relaxed, making him look younger and tranquil. Laurens opened his eyes and looked up into the trees longingly. "You know…if I were an animal, I would be a bird. Birds can fly however high they wish. No one to stop them. They can just be at peace and see these marvelous views." Alex nodded his head slowly, not entirely listening to what Laurens was saying. His focus was still on his friend. Those hazel eyes were piercing, yet calm. They were sharp, yet mesmerizing. Alex continued to stare into them as Laurens rambled on. His heart started to race, feeling the blood in his body flush to his face. His lips parted, almost gasping for air. Why is this happening? That is his friend. They have known each other ever since high school and have been inseperatable ever since. They always went hiking together, played video games together, and hung out all the time. They were best friends and no one could ever tear them apart. How could he think such thoughts about him? He wanted to look away and forget about all of this, but he couldn't. He goes from Laurens' eyes to his lips; soft yet gentle. All he could imagine was embracing Laurens and passionately kissing him as if the whole world stood still just for them to share a moment together. No! He couldn't think this about Laurens. They are only friends.

"Alex?" Laurens cocked his head to the side and blinked in confusion. Alex continued to spiral into his mental confusion as Laurens leaned closer to his friend. "You alright?" Still not hearing the brunette clearly, Alex involuntarily leaned in closer to Laurens, fluttering his eyes shut. As his lips almost meet Laurens' lips…

"ALEX! What are you doing?" Alex snapped out of his mental state. Eyes wide as saucers, his mouth gapes open and he leans back in complete shock. He tries to catch his breath, face flushed even more now. Laurens leans back as well, his face slightly reddening from this embarrassing scene. Luckily no one was there to watch this play out. "Are you alright? What was that?"

Alex averted his eyes away from his friend, heaving a huge sigh, "I, uh…I don't know. It's not that important. I apologize. I am sorry." Knowing Laurens, he would continue to ask a million questions.

"No, Alex. I know something is bothering you. I can see it in your eyes. What's going on?"

"Laurens! I told you it isn't important. Don't worry about it."

"Alexander! I am your friend. Please…"

"No! Stop it!"

"Alex-"

"STO-"

Snap. A dead tree branch broke in half unexpectedly. Both hikers froze, staring at each other. Something or someone is very close to them. Alex slowly turned his head around towards the trees. His eyes widened in horror. Laurens turned his head in the same direction. His mouth widens. A huge black bear stood staring at the two from about fifty feet away.

"Alex? What should we do?" Laurens whimpers quietly to Alex, still keeping his eyes on the bear.

"I…I-I think I know what to do." He whispered back, slowly getting up from his blanket. He stands his ground, puffing is chest out. "You have to make a bunch of noise to appear bigger than the bear." Alex started to holler and hiss, flinging his arms all over the place and jumping around. Laurens finally remembers learning this and got up and started to follow Alex, yelling and moving around. The bear, not looking like she was going to back down, stood up on her hind legs and lets out a growl. They realized that this was not going to work, and they froze again.

"Alex…th-that didn't work."

"I know that, Laurens." Before Alex could think of something else to do, the bear started to charge after them. Screaming, the hikers respond to their fight-or-flight response and decided to flee from the bear, running at top speeds.

"Alex! This is NOT the best option!" Laurens took long strides, his boots crashing onto the ground. Alex caught up to his friend as he continued to run. He spun his head back and saw the bear racing towards them, getting closer and closer with every step. "We are going to die, Alex!"

As they ran up the path, Alex made a sharp left turn into the woods. "Follow me, Laurens!" Laurens followed behind him, taking short breaths. The bear still kept up, chasing and growling at them.

What seemed like hours passed and the bear still kept on going. Laurens started to become very worried and tired, slightly lagging behind. "Alex! I can't keep this up for much longer."

"No! Laurens! You can do this." Alex turned his head back, seeing his friend dropping back and the bear getting much closer to him. No. With all they went through in their friendship, he could not sit here and watch his friend get mauled and die right before his eyes. Alex stopped in his tracks and quickly picked up a handful of the ground around him, which had some sticks, leaves and rocks.

"Alex! What are you doing?!" Right before Laurens made it to Alex, he tripped on an exposed tree root, falling with a thud onto the ground. Realizing that this is the end for him, Laurens gave up, looking up a Alex with blood running down from his forehead, "Run, Alex! Leave me behind. Save yourself!"

Alex shook his head, glaring at the towering bear charging after them, and threw rocks towards the bear. The first set missed, but forced the bear up on her hind legs to avoid getting hit. "No! Alex! Please…save yourself." The bear huffed and ran towards Laurens. This was it for him. "I love you, Alex!" He shut his eyes tight, waiting for his death.

Alex's eyes widened in shock, glancing down at Laurens. Then something clicks in his brain. He knew what to do. He ran towards the bear, jumping over Laurens. He started to yell, throwing sticks and rocks towards the bear. Aiming towards the beast's face, the rocks started to fly. This backed the bear up a little bit, but not enough. Alex looked down at Laurens' side and grabbed a rough-edged rock. He hoped this rock could save Laurens and himself from this terrible death. Tears started to well up in his eyes. Laurens needed to survive. He swung the rock at the bear and it hit her in the eye. The bear howled in pain, grabbing her eye with her clawed paw. The beast glared at Alex in horror and turned around, fleeing the fight. Alex started to breath deeply, shaking terribly from shock. He dropped to his knees, letting his tears trickle down his tanned face. He did it. He couldn't believe he just did that.

Laurens groaned, finally using the little strength he had to get up from the ground and crawled towards Alex, finally getting up on his knees. He reached his arm out and tugged on Alex's arm. Alex spun his head around to face Laurens. Their eyes met, Alex with tears still welling in his eyes and Laurens in immense pain. Laurens embraced Alex, crying sightly into his shoulder, shaking from head-to-toe. Alex froze in shock, not expecting Laurens to react this way. Alex finally melted into the hug and wrapped his arms around Laurens, pushing his face against his shoulder.

Laurens moved back from the hug and smiled at Alex, "Alex…you could have easily saved yourself and left me behind, but…you didn't. You saved me. And yourself." Alex moved back as well and chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of his head.

"I couldn't just leave you there to die! You're my…friend." Alex whispered the last word. Friend. It seemed like after this whole event he couldn't see Laurens as a friend. He sees him in a completely different light. His eyes averted away from Laurens' soft gaze. His hands started to get clammy and his heart began to race. Please don't bring it up, he begged in his mind.

"Alex. I know what you were trying to do earlier." And he did bring it up. Alex gasped slightly, turning to Laurens. His lips began to quiver, trying to find the words to explain himself. To deny it beyond reason. But he couldn't. "I know you're trying to deny it. I know you, Alex. I meant what I said earlier…before I almost got mauled by a bear." He chuckled.

"What?" Shock plastered on Alex's face.

"I love you, Alexander." He leaned in and pressed his soft, yet gentle lips against Alex's. Alex froze, eyes widened. This wasn't real, was it? It took him a few moments to collect his raging thoughts, but eventually he kissed Laurens back, leaning into the kiss, melting in Laurens' embrace. The remaining tears in both of their eyes trickled down and disappeared.

Laurens drew his lips away from Alex, leaving him speechless and longing for more. This feels right. Everything seems to fall into place perfectly. Alex smiled at Laurens, face flushed and eyes full of light.

"I love you, too, Laurens," Alex leaned in, cupping his gloved hand into Laurens' cheek and kissed him, passion drawn from his lips. They both melted into the kiss and drew away from each other after about a minute. "Let's get our backpacks and continue the hike. Are you alright to keep going?" Alex got up. Laurens stood up, but started to limp, seething in pain.

"It's okay. I got this." Laurens kept on going, but Alex wrapped his arm under Laurens' arm and around his back, helping him walk.

"No. We got this." They both smiled and laughed as they made their way slowly down the path to get their bags and continue on their hike.


End file.
